1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for the transport and spreading of ballast and bench material for the maintenance of railroad embankments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Railbound conventional carriages for transporting and spreading macadam and other materials for the maintenance of railroad embankments are provided with discharge doors which are manually opened. With such prior art carriages it is difficult to adjust the spread capacity so as to obtain a uniform spread of the material. Moreover, the door control during the operation involves the risk of accidents. Therefore, a special plough is required to level the non-uniformly spread material.
Typical prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,447 to Miller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,020 to Mengel, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,418 to Fyrk. None of these references disclose a moving apparatus for spreading a strand of material adjacent a railroad track. Miller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,922,447, disclose a point-to-point transfer means, utilizing detachable, hinged chutes and having a reciprocating feed utilizing feed-plates with variable stroke in order to accommodate different materials. The material is delivered through chutes 10 which are hinged and thus require manual supervision of positioning, in order to assure delivery to a waiting receptacle 12. Delivery is made while the device is stationary.
Mengel U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,020 similarly teaches a point-to-point delivery vehicle, providing stationary discharge of material via a hopper having manually operable discharge doors, or valves on the hopper, to a waiting receptacle, such as a van, for example. The disclosure provides a combination of a turntable and a conveyor, but does not provide any indication of the use of a central funnel, capable of receiving materials from two separated troughs by vibrating means for movable, doorless distribution of a strand of the material along a railroad track. In fact, the use of a forward supporting leg 110 is required, enabling the equipment to be operated only when the vehicle is positioned at the point of discharge. The conveyor is required to be manually positioned, and the valve must be manually opened prior to operation.
Fyrk, U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,418 is yet another teaching of an apparatus for delivery of material to a predetermined point. Such delivery is achieved with the aid of a worm gear, or auger, supported by hooks and chains and requiring manual stabilization for delivery. Additionally, delivery by the worm gear is from a single hopper rather than from a pair of troughs. Where the patented apparatus is to function as a spreader, the worm gear conveyor is not used. Rather, a ballast spreading arrangement is described, with an impeller requiring a complex structure. While the amount of material spread may be corelated with the vehicle speed, it is clear that any blending of materials to be spread requires the use of two conveyors to carry the materials to a chute guiding the materials to the rotating impeller disc.
The present invention accordingly overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an apparatus for dispensing materials, preferrably during movement of the device along railroad tracks, from a pair of troughs feeding a conveyor via adjustable vibrating feeders and through a central funnel which permits blending of several materials. The conveyor is mounted on a turntable, and the entire apparatus may be remotely controlled and adjusted, without requiring manual adjustments of the several components thereof.